Livestock watering trough and connecting conduit



Feb. 16, 1965 J. w. FULTON, JR

LIVESTOCK WATERING TROUGH AND CONNECTING CONDUIT Filed June 27, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet l //VL/NTOR JOSEPH m FUL TON,JP. BY

' ATTORNE s 5 Feb. 16, 1965 J. w. FULTON, JR

LIVESTOCK WATERING TROUGH AND CONNECTING CONDUIT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 27, 1962 /NVN7'0R JOSEPH 144 FULTON, JR. By

Q A TTORNE vs United States Patent 3,159,510 LIVESTOCK WATERING THOUGH AND CONNECTENG CONDUIT Joseph W. Fulton, Jr., 1824 Southern Ave., Shreveport, La. Filed June 27, 1962, Ser. No. 205,628 1 Claim. (Cl. 119-73) This invention relates to a drinking water supply means for livestock, such as fowls, hogs, cattle, sheep, horses and like.

In many instances, and especially in the raising of chickens and like fowls, the maintaining of the drinking water at a desirable temperature presents a considerable problem. Firstly, there is the hazard of the water freezing during the cold months, or at least the Water being or such a low temperature that the fowls will drink sparingly thereof. Secondly, when a great number of fowls are being cared for, the heating of a great number of individual drinking troughs becomes almost an impossible operation. A further problem of chicken raisers is the lack of portability of the drinking trough means.

Therefore, one of the principal objects of my invention is to provide a water trough means that will maintain the water therein at a selected temperature.

A further object of this invention is to provide a heating means for water troughs that is automatic in operation.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a plurality of detachable connected troughs that are heated by a single heating means.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a plurality of heatable trough units that may be easily stored when not in use.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a livestock watering means that is portable.

Still further objects of my invention are to provide a stock water means that is economical in manufacture and durable in use.

These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangements, and combination, of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained as hereinafter more fully set forth, specifically pointed out in my claim, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of my watering means;

FIG. 2 is a reduced perspective view illustrating the joining of two or more trough units;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional View of a trough taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the flexible conduit connecting two adjacent troughs, taken on line 44 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a wiring diagram of the waterer;

FIG. 6 is an illustrative side diagram of the circulation of the hot oil; and

FIG. 7 is an enlarged longitudinal bottom sectional view of the cap means for the outer and trough unit.

Chicken water troughs are quite common. Usually these trough units consist of an elongated trough 10, with a water supply tank container 11 at one end. This container communicates with the inside end of the trough with a float valve regulator imposed therein to maintain a desired water level in the trough. The water supply pipe 12 communicates with the inside of the tank 11 and is adapted to be in communication with a water source. It is to such trough units that I apply my invention and which I will describe in detail.

On and along the length of the bottom of the trough 10, I have provided three parallel conduits 13, 14 and 15,

3,169,516 Patented Feb. 16, 1965 as shown in FIG. 3. The outside walls of these three conduits may be insulated, but at least the hot oil conduit should not be insulated from heat transfer through the trough bottom and into the Water in the trough 19. In the drawings I have used the center large conduit 14 as the hot oil passageway. The conduit 15 may be the oil return conduit, and the conduit 13 may be a water supply conduit for the succeeding trough unit. If only one trough unit is used, or if several inline trough units are used, the farthest out trough should have these three conduits capped as shown in FIG. 7. In FIG. 7, I have used a three-passageway pipe 16 having the three passageways 17, 13 and 19 communicating with the insides, respectively, of the conduits 13, 14 and 15. The numeral 20 designates a cap detachably threaded onto the end area of the pipe 16. This cap 2% has an internal shoulder 21 that seals the free end of the water conduit 13. In the cap 20 is a compartment 22 that communicates with both the conduit 14 and the conduit 15. By this structure hot oil may pass forwardly through the conduit 14 and then return rearwardly through the return conduit 15. The water supply pipe 12 is connected to the water conduit 13 by a pipe connection 23.

The oil heater supply tank is designated by the numeral 25. An electric heater 26 is on the bottom of the oil supply tank 25. The numeral 27 designates an electric motor powered pump having its inlet pipe 29 extending into the tank 25. The pump outlet pipe 343 communicates with the inside of the conduit 14 of the first trough unit. The pipe 31 is an oil return pipe communicating with the inside of the conduit 15 of the first trough unit and the oil supply tank 25. A thermostatic switch 32 may be placed on the water trough 10. In the drawings I show a second thermostatic switch 33 in the second trough unit. Any number of thermostatic switches may be used in the electric circuit 35. As shown in FIG. 5, the circuit is electrically connected to the electric motor of the pump, the electric heater and a source of electric energy with the thermostatic switches imposed in the circuit. By this construction, when the trough water drops below a pre determined temperature the thermostatic switch or switches will close, the oil in the supply tank will be heated and the pump will force the hot oil through the conduit 14 and back through the conduit thereby raising the temperature in the trough unit. After the water has been raised to the desired temperature the switches will break the circuit. This operation will be automatic and the water in the trough units will not freeze even in the coldest weather.

Any number of portable trough units may be used. Each two trough units are connected by a flexible hose 36 having the three passageways 37, 38 and 39 as shown in FIG. 4. This hose has a fitting 40 on each end. The cap 21 is removed and the rear fitting 4t) threaded onto the forward pipe 16. The other fitting 40 is threaded onto the rear end of the three passageway pipe 41 of the next trough unit and which is a part of the conduits 13, 14 and 15 of such next trough unit as shown in FIG. 1. All the trough units are so connected and each trough unit is a duplicate of the other. The water supply will be extended from one trough unit to the other. The hot oil when needed will be forced forwardly to all the trough units and then returned to the tank 25. The flexible three passageway hose 36 connecting the trough units will permit selected placement of the trough units relative to each other. Also, with the hot oil and water passing through a common hose unit, the water in passing from one trough unit to the other will be prevented from freezing. The cap unit 20 will be on the pipe 16 of the last trough unit so that the hot oil will flow and return to be reheated. The same reference numerals are used for each of the trough units.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of my livestock watering means Without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention torcover by my claim, any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which may be reasonably included within their scope.

I claim: In a livestock Watering means, comprising, in combination,

at least two elongated trough members, each having integral therewith an oil conduit, a return oil conduit, and a water supply conduit, said conduits extending the entire length of the trough member of which they are a part, 7 a pipe having three separate passageways extended the entire length thereof with one passageway connecting the forward end of the oil conduit of an elongated trough member to the rear end of the oil conduit of the next elongated trough member, with another passageway connecting the forward end of the return oil conduit of an elongated trough member to the rear end of the return oil conduit of the next elongated trough member, and its third passageway connecting the forward end of the water supply conduit of an elongated trough member to the rear end of the water supply conduit of the next elongated trough member, and

means attachable to one end of a trough member for connecting the forward end of the oil conduit of the last trough member to the forward end of the return oil conduit of the last trough member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

